Air Handlers in Ottawa

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So your home is fitted with good heating and cooling equipment – that means everything is taken care of, right? Well … not quite.

While it would help regulate the air’s temperature, the conditioned air needs to be delivered to its destination – your home – and that’s precisely what an air handler does. It’s also why we specialize in air handling units in Ottawa.

Using an air handler in Ottawa to “handle” or circulate the cool or warm air – depending on the time of the year – is, therefore, an essential piece of equipment that most homes require, whether it’s for the colder months. You rely on an outdoor heater or for the warmer months and your home doesn’t have a furnace.

Air Handlers… the Perfect Solution!

An air handler is an HVAC unit out fitted with a fan and varying means of transferring hot or cold air throughout your home or building through ductwork.

Air handlers in Canada are most commonly used with a heat pump, air conditioner, or boiler system as the heat or cooling power plant.

Although they work with an outdoor temperature regulating appliance such as a heat pump or air conditioner, they are typically installed inside the house, in the basement, or a tiny space specially reserved for them.

What Do Air Handlers Do?

Some air handlers have hot water coils and distribute heating via hot water provided by a boiler. These are called air handler hydronic heating systems and are commonly used as part of a hybrid heating system with radiant floor heating. Domestic water heating is often also supplied by the boiler by using an indirect water heater.

An electric air handler unit comprises several components like a coil (to condition the air), blower (to circulate the air), and an electric heat strip.

When used along with heating equipment, it acts as a heat pump, drawing in cool air from the home, transforming it from cool to hot air with the help of the warm evaporator coil, and then driving the heated air throughout the home. The cool refrigerant is pushed out to the heat pump and the coil is warmed again for the next cycle.

In reverse mode or when used with an air conditioner, it draws in warm air from the house, and cools it with the help of the coil, and then propels the cool air to the house.

That said, it’s important to note that an air handler is neither a furnace nor an air conditioner. An electric air handler is different from a furnace in that it doesn’t have a burner to “heat” air or use natural gas to heat the home.

It needs a heat pump in order to function or “heat” the air. Similarly, what makes it distinct from an air conditioner is that it cannot “condition” the air by itself and is instead a part of the split air conditioning system.

When used with a heat pump, the primary benefit of an air handler is the integrated indoor coil which is designed to capture the heat from the heat pump first. This means that the heat pump acts as the primary heat source and the electric elements act only as a supplementary heat source, and that too, only as required.

Air handler heating systems in Ottawa are also available with hot water coils in place of the electric elements in the same configuration. Hot water from a boiler is pumped through the coil, and the heat is transferred to the air to heat the home.

When it comes to your home heating needs, you may have a lot of questions. Winters in Ottawa can be harsh, but Climate Works is here to help you live comfortably! The last thing you want is to risk your home comfort during one of our frequent cold streaks.

Understanding the Difference Between AC and Air Handlers

We get a lot of questions about air handlers in Ottawa and that’s because most home owners don’t understand how they differ from air conditioning systems.

An AC unit, often set outside the home, works to cool air by removing heat. This cooled air blows into the home’s ductwork through an air handler unit that’s usually located inside.

An air handler moves conditioned air – heated or cooled – through the home via a fan and a series of ducts. Whereas the AC unit actively changes the temperature of air, the air handler simply circulates whatever air is there.

Put simply, ACs make hot air cold, and air handlers use fans to circulate any temperature of conditioned air, hot or cold. The hardware may seem similar, but the mechanisms and purposes differ between the two integral home comfort components.

Hybrid Heat Systems

These “Hybrid Heating Systems” are more common than ever, taking advantage of the efficiency of hot water heating but retaining the benefit of forced air systems. They can be remarkably efficient system when combined with a heat pump.

Air handlers can be installed on the rooftop in commercial HVAC systems, but are more commonly located in indoor mechanical rooms just as a furnace would be in a residential application.

Do Air Handling Units in Ottawa Need to Be Cleaned?

As the system responsible for circulating air, proper air handler maintenance is crucial for healthy indoor air quality and cooling efficiency.

Air handlers pull in air that contains dust, pollen, pet dander, and more. These particles build up easily on fan blades and air filters inside the unit. Left alone, dirty air filters lead to restricted airflow, higher energy bills, and strains your AC as it works harder to push through clogs.

We recommend checking and changing your air handler’s filters every few months depending on use.

Clogged condenser coils around the fan should also be professionally cleaned annually to allow transferred air to properly release heat outside.

Choosing an Air Handler in Canada

When choosing an air handler heating system in Ottawa, matching the unit to the outdoor heat pump or air conditioning unit is vital.

Some heat pumps or air conditioners are designed to only work with specific indoor air handler components, while others are more versatile. These matched components can dramatically affect energy efficiency ratings, noise levels and control systems for each type of air handler.

The size of an air handler is also a major issue when purchasing. It is important to choose a unit with the appropriate heating and cooling capacity for the space or home. As with gas furnaces and air conditioners, an improperly sized air handler heating for your home will not perform properly to provide the comfort levels or efficiencies desired.

As with most heating and cooling components, an air handler must be properly maintained to function at peak performance. As with furnaces, maintenance includes regularly cleaning or replacing the filter, but an annual check of the overall system is also advised.

As with any HVAC system, installation should be performed and the system should be programmed by a skilled technician to maximize performance and reduce the risk of operation issues.

How Climate Works Can Help?

Whether it is heating, cooling, plumbing, or duct cleaning, Climate Works – the leading provider of HVAC services in the National Capital Region – is a safe bet! Apart from an air handler heating system in Ottawa, some of our other product offerings include heat pumps, water heater, boiler, electric furnace, and pool heater, all of which are of top quality and reliability.

Climate Works is fully bonded and insured and TSSA and WSIB certified. Our team of professionals including air handler experts have numerous levels of security clearance and possess years of experience. They ensure your comfort at all times by being available 24/7. Safety remains our number one priority across all work sites, and our employees are dedicated to abiding by all safety requirements.

Climate Works is an Authourized Dealer of Lennox, York & Mitsubishi Products

Authorized dealer of Mitsubishi Electric heating and cooling equipment